


When He Sees Me

by kimjungwuwu



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, NCT Dream - Freeform, Short, Short One Shot, nct - Freeform, nomin, renmin, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23580766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimjungwuwu/pseuds/kimjungwuwu
Summary: In a word where people can only see three shades of color until they kiss their Person, Jaemin thought he was lucky. He was lucky enough to see shades of blue, red, and yellow, the primary colors. Some of his friends, however, weren't so lucky.Jaemin is stuck seeing mostly gray until he can kiss his Person, his soulmate, and he couldn't wait for the day when he could finally see the world in color.He didn't expect for the colors in his vision to fade completely.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	When He Sees Me

Jaemin woke up to a gray ceiling. 

Nearly everything in his world was gray, though, so it didn't bother him too much. His desk was gray, the blanket on his bed was gray, his walls were gray. When he peered outside the window, he saw the gray flowers that the caretaker had planted the previous day. The grass on the front lawn was a sad, dark gray. Even so, he relished in seeing the pale blue sky and the bright yellow sun. The red rug under his feet when he stepped out of bed made him feel better whenever he was surrounded by gray. 

When Jaemin had moved out of his home, his mother had helped him decorate his room in the new apartment. Jaemin was certain he would find his Person by twenty, so he insisted on filling his room with colors he couldn't yet see. 

"And what are you going to do if you don't have your Person after a year? Two years? You don't know how long you'll have to live in all this gray," his mom had warned. 

"I've lived in gray for twenty years," he had said. "What's a few more?" 

Jaemin, now well into his twenty years, regretted disregarding his mother's words. His only consolation was that none of his roommates had their Persons either, so they couldn't see the full force of his rainbowed bedroom. 

He had grown up only seeing shades of red, yellow, and blue. In a world where people only saw three shades of color until they kissed their soulmate, their Person, he considered himself lucky to be stuck with the primary colors. Jaemin only knew of other colors from what his parents had described to him. His parents had told him that discovering color was unlike any experience they had ever had up until that point. 

"It really felt like being born again," he remembered his father saying. 

Jaemin loved the blues the most. It filled the sky with its numerous shades, and he especially loved when the yellow sunlight created different patterns in the sky. When most of the world was dark, he just looked to the sky full of color, and it instantly cheered his mood. 

"Jaem, you up?"

It was Jeno, always awake before the rest of the apartment. 

"Yea, I'm coming," called Jaemin. Jaemin walked to a gray dresser and opened it, pulling a shirt and jeans out of it. All of his clothes were either red, yellow, or blue, or the typical black and white. The same colors meant less confusion for Jaemin. 

Jeno, however, often poked fun at Jaemin for his clothes, but Jaemin didn't mind. He could only see shades of orange, green, and pink. Jaemin had no idea what those colors were, but it was all he could do to chuckle whenever Jeno made comments about Jaemin's "gray" clothes. 

"RENJUN! I'm not being late for class again, so get your ass up!"

Jaemin and Jeno also shared their apartment with Renjun, who was apparently still asleep. Jaemin dressed, pulling jeans onto his legs and a plain black t-shirt over his head. When he opened the door to his room, Renjun stood in the sitting room, his hair still messy from sleep. He stared at Jeno, watching him fill a water bottle in the sink and sliding it into the school bag on his back. 

"Are you just going to skip today?" Jaemin asked him, leaning into the doorway of his bedroom. 

"I think so," said Renjun, his voice raspy with tiredness. "I'm not feeling well."

"Well, try to un-sick yourself," said Jeno, smiling. "You're still coming to Haechan's party tonight, right?" 

Renjun sighed. It was no secret to any of them that Renjun had a thing for Haechan. Jaemin and Jeno remembered the not-so-good time when Renjun had found out that Haechan started to date Mark Lee, a popular boy in the year above them. They had tried many times to get Renjun to go out with them to take his mind off of it, but Renjun always insisted on staying in.

"Renjun, you don't even know if Haechan would have been your Person, and odds are, he probably wasn't," Jaemin said. 

"Wow, thanks," replied Renjun, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"You know what I mean."

"Yea, but it doesn't make it hurt any less."

"You need to get out, Renjun," said Jeno. "Just at least try. We can go for an hour, and if you aren't feeling up to it, I can bring you back here."

"God, my person probably isn't even out there. He's probably already found someone else." Renjun sat down on the sofa, defeated. 

Jaemin walked towards him. "You and I both know that it's extremely rare for your Person to have someone else as their Person. Not impossible, but still really rare. Plus, if you can still see color, your Person is still looking for you. You know that."

Renjun was silent for a moment. "Alright, fine. I'll come. But I decide when I'm done."

"Perfect," said Jeno, moving to the front door. Jaemin grabbed his own school bag from his room and walked to the front door. 

"We'll be back by lunch. Just text if you need anything," Jaemin said to Renjun. 

"Thanks, guys."

When Jaemin shut the door behind him, he felt a pang of guilt as he locked it. They were trying to help him, but he also felt like he was forcing Renjun into going out when he wasn't ready. 

It'll be good for him, thought Jaemin. I know it. 

_____

Jaemin, Jeno, and Renjun walked the three blocks to Haechan's apartment together. It was well into the night, and the boys were sure to stick close together even under the light of the street lamps. The darkness that came at nighttime made seeing a challenge when most of the world was gray. 

Haechan's building was easy enough to find, even in the dark. Jaemin could hear music from the sidewalk, the bass bumping through the almost silent night. The three boys climbed the stairs to the third floor, where the music and the sound of chattering voices grew increasingly louder. When they reached the hallway, a series of three or four apartments in a row were being used for the party. People walked in and out of the open doors as they pleased, going from room to room. 

"I'm not sure about this," said Renjun. But before anyone could answer, their host appeared out of the nearest room. 

"Hey guys! Thanks for coming," said Haechan. "You need drinks, pronto." And just like that, he disappeared back into the room. 

Renjun had gone slightly pale. "Can I go now?"

"No way," said Jeno. "You just got here. At least meet someone?"

Renjun dropped his head to the concrete floor, knowing he had lost. The three boys entered the first apartment, which seemed to be where the music was loudest. The room was similar to Jaemin's own apartment, with a sitting room and multiple bedrooms. It was nearly packed full with people, shiny red solo cups gripped firmly in their hands. As they weaved their way through the crowd, bodies swayed back and forth to the beat of the song, knocking Jaemin here and there. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaemin spotted an empty space on a sofa. "Let's go here," he said to Jeno and Renjun. 

Just as they had settled, Haechan reappeared, balancing three cups in one hand. 

"One for each of you," he said, handing them to the boys. 

"Thanks," said Jeno, taking a sip. "Oh, it's good."

Jaemin sipped his drink as well, and it was dangerously good. Before he knew it, he was searching for Haechan, trying to get more. The faces he saw were gray blurs, but he eventually found his host. As the night wore on, Jaemin began to feel the effects of the drink, he felt light, like he was flying. He and Jeno danced around with the others, letting the rhythm take him away. Renjun all the while stayed in his place on the sofa, looking down into his untouched drink. Jeno walked, more like stumbled, to him. 

"Renjun, you know I love you right?"

"Yes. You know you can't hold your alcohol for shit right?" Renjun responded with a slight smile. Jeno sat down next to Renjun with a loud thud, causing the drink he had been holding to splash into Renjun's face. 

"Jesus, man..."

Jeno only laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Let me clean it," He began to wipe at the liquid with his bare hand, only smearing it around more.

"Dude, not funny," Renjun said while suppressing a laugh, drink dripping from his skin. 

"I missed a spot," said Jeno. He leaned in and caught a drop with his lips right on Renjun's chin. 

"You are so dru-"

Renjun stopped. 

All his life, Renjun had been certain he had been cursed with the worst three colors anyone could have. He could only see shades of aqua, bright pinks, and dark browns. He had always seen them as the most random color combination. The majority of his life was spent looking at the dirt as he played in the grass as a child, or seeing the bright pink flowers as he passed them riding the bus on the way to school. While he had always been painfully aware of the soft browns of Jeno's eyes, he now stared down at Jeno's shirt. 

Jeno's dark green shirt. 

All around him, colors began filling in the grays that had clouded his vision. The yellow fairy lights filled the room with a beautiful glow. The cup in his hand, once gray, was now a lovely red color that he really liked. It was like he was seeing for the first time. His head dizzied at the introduction of so many wonderful colors. 

And it was all because of Jeno. 

Renjun looked up at him, and the shock on Jeno's face matched his own. They met each other's eyes, and they both knew in a moment what had happened. 

"It's you," said Renjun. 

"Colors," said Jeno, his brain still somewhat foggy from his drink. "They're beautiful."

"I can't believe...one of my best friends..." said Jeno. He stared at Renjun, who broke into a wide smile. How had he not seen how lovely his smile was before?

"Renjun," he began. 

"It's okay," was Renjun's response. "We can talk about it later. Just let me sit here with you."

And he did. The two boys sat together, Jeno's arm wrapped around Renjun's shoulder, blissfully admiring their new world of color together. 

One room over, Jaemin was getting ready to fill his cup with more drink. He looked down into his empty cup, and his entire body clenched. He was frozen in his spot. 

The cup in his hand, the red solo cup, had turned gray.

The fuck, he thought. 

He immediately moved to the first room, looking for Renjun and Jeno. What had happened? The world before him was now painfully dull, for he could no longer see color. He found his two friends sitting together on the sofa. 

"Something's wrong," said Jaemin, panic rising in his voice. Renjun sat up. 

"What's up?"

"I can't see."

Renjun chuckled. "You just drank too much, probably."

Jaemin wasn't laughing. "No, Renjun, I mean I can't fucking SEE. Everything's gone gray."

Renjun's face fell. "You don't see anything?"

"What's going on," asked Jeno lazily. 

"Nothing. It's all gray," said Jaemin. 

"Shit," mumbled Renjun. "That means-"

"What?" asked Jaemin. 

"God, I'm so sorry-" 

"Renjun, what is it?" 

"It's Jeno and I. We can see colors now."

Jaemin stared blankly at Renjun, letting the weight of his words hit him at full force. 

"You what?"

"It just happened, not two minutes ago."

Jaemin couldn't comprehend what had happened. If he had just lost what little color he had while his two best friends had discovered they were each other's Person...

It was one of them. Jaemin's Person had been one of them. 

And now he had no one. 

Too confused and too angry to care, Jaemin stalked away from Renjun, walking out of the apartment and shutting the door behind him.


End file.
